Migrant Educator Newsletter: April 2019

Welcome to the April 2019 edition of the NYS-MEP Educator Newsletter.

Scroll down to find links that take you to activities, videos or handouts you can use with your students (P3-K-12-OSY) and parents.  FYI- You can find all editions of the Educator Newsletter on our website at nysmigrant.org/news.  As always, we invite you to share your thoughts and feedback!

Mary Anne Diaz, mdiaz@brockport.edu

Betty García Mathewson, gmathews@brockport.edu

Jenny Verdugo, jverdugo@brockport.edu

EARLY CHILDHOOD
New in April 2019 – Check out the Early Childhood Sample Lessons, or search the Resource Library on the NYS Migrant Website. The thirty-minute lessons include a warm up activity, a featured guided reading lesson and a craft or other activity that supports the child’s understanding of the story, and a closing. Each lesson includes at least one activity available in English, Burmese, Karen, and Spanish to engage parents. 

PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Good to Know, is a series of thirty-six short videos explaining math topics taught in NYS elementary schools (Preschool – Grade 4). Great visual models of the process used to solve typical homework problems. The narration is only available in English. 

This could be an interesting summer math project, introducing math videos to parents and students so they can access with a smartphone. (“Good to Know” math homework video series created by WSKG, the PBS station in Binghamton, NY.)

K-8 MATH
Take the mystery out of fractions with hands on activities. Join Suzanne Fox on the NYS Migrant Website.
Visualizing Fractions Part 2A: How to use Cuisenaire rods as concrete models to understand fractions, along with adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominators. (Paper version of the Cuisenaire rods provided.)
Visualizing Fractions Part B: How to use Cuisenaire Rods so students understand how to change fractions in order to add and subtract fractions with different denominators. (Paper and online versions of the rods provided.)  

K-8 ELA
Do you want to help your ENL students understand theme in their reading, or do you just want new and interesting ways to teach about theme? This is for you:  
Reading Comprehension of Literature: Theme 

• Watch Kathleen Lord’s video modeling strategies that are good for all students, with specific instructions for use with English Learners. 
• Download graphic organizers to print and use with your students.

HIGH SCHOOL/ADOLESCENT

We heard you. Regents prep materials are important to your work with high school students. You can find Regents Prep materials for both Earth Science and Living Environment (Biology) on our website. Algebra 1 is coming soon!

SEL/TRAUMA RESPONSIVE/IDENTITY
Supporting Social and Academic Identities – Have you been struggling to help your students identify as scholars? Creating a Personal Disciplinary Literacy Profile is an engaging way for middle and high school students to think about their own academic identities. In this module you will learn three activities to help students create their profile. The process provides a great opportunity for students to reflect on their areas of strength and those that need support. It is a great foundation for exploring self-advocacy.

OSY
We Got Your Back: Safety Tips and Techniques for Proper Lifting
With spring comes planting. This part of the year can be physically strenuous for agricultural workers, with the constant lifting and bending. In 2005, New York State reported that one out of three injuries reported by vegetable and plant growers were a result from strains and sprains. Therefore, it is important to maintain and follow a proper lifting and bending technique to reduce these injuries.

New York Center for Agricultural Medicine & Heath’s (NYCAMH) website has a great list of posters providing safety tips for work on the farm. Follow this link to NYCAMH’s posters and look for “Safe Lifting” in the English titles and “Levantando y Cargando Peso con Seguridad” in the Spanish titles.

DIRECTORS
Let’s celebrate our students and colleagues! The 2018 NYS-MEP summer video is finally ready! You and your colleagues are invited to join us at the first private viewing and premiere of this short film on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Click here to view the full invitation.

We hope to see you there,
The Statewide Support Team